Highland has to move on without McNease

Getting by with injured players sidelined for a little while is one thing, but doing so for the remainder of the season is another.

By Adam J. Kradle

Journal Standard

By Adam J. Kradle

Posted Jan. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 29, 2013 at 3:06 PM

By Adam J. Kradle

Posted Jan. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 29, 2013 at 3:06 PM

Freeport, Ill.

Getting by with injured players sidelined for a little while is one thing, but doing so for the remainder of the season is another.

The Highland men’s basketball team has seen several key players miss games due to injuries in the past two weeks, and has still managed to keep its winning streak going.

But now with the news that their top rebounder, freshman Steve McNease, is done for the rest of the year with a torn ACL, the Cougars are going to have to find a way to make up for a big loss for a much longer period of time.

This deep into the season, the options are limited for Highland.

“The best thing we can do right now is just next guy in,” Highland coach Nathan Courtney said. “I don’t know if you really change anything now (in late January).”

A lot of the burden figures to fall on 6-foot-10 Cheick Thiero, who had been coming off the bench and seeing significantly fewer minutes prior to McNease’s injury last Tuesday.

The Cougars’ (15-2, 4-0) only other two players with substantial size, 6-6 DJ Tolliver and 6-8 Patrick Onwenu, will also be counted to pick up the slack where the Highland will be lacking without their top rebounder.

“We’re just going to have to get more out of Cheick and we’ll have to get more out of Pat and DJ playing inside and probably playing a little bit more zone if we have to,” Courtney said.

The void left by McNease’s injury was visible Saturday in Highland’s victory over Kennedy-King. While the Cougars were in control for most of the game, they gave up a lot of offensive rebounds to the Statesmen. It’s a problem that could take a while for Highland to solve.

“DJ and Pat got wore out, Cheick did his best but then he got in foul trouble so we had to take him back out,” Courtney said. “I told them, without Steve if we get in foul trouble it could be a mess for rebounding and an inside presence.

“Somebody on that bench is going to have to come alive and play the four. So we’ll slide Pat and DJ in and pretty just have two forwards in there instead of a traditional center, which we can survive with, but somebody has to do it.”

Fortunately for the Cougars, not all of the injuries they’ve been struck with have been as devastating as McNease’s.

Guard Brandon Ward returned to action Saturday after missing four games with an ankle injury and appears to have recovered just fine. Onwenu also shook off a minor injury and played well Saturday after missing the previous game.

Page 2 of 2 - Leading scorer Deon Andrews, meanwhile, has missed the past two games with a groin injury and will be out at least a few more, but will likely return sometime in early February.

“He’ll be out two weeks to let it heal, just complete rest and he’ll be back,” Courtney said.